Champ Week 2023: 5 keys to winning an NCAA conference title

In my 20 years of coaching, I have been fortunate to be a part of two conference tournament championships — one in the Big East and one in the Big Ten.

Teams that win it all are either desperate to make the postseason, more talented than everyone else, or have everything go right in a short amount of time. Some call it luck.

Championship week tests a team's toughness. Here is a look at five important factors to win a conference tournament.

Regardless of a team's position, there are two special ingredients that win games and championships: team chemistry and player leadership.

As a coach, you know when you have it and you know when you don't. Both start to cultivate in the offseason and preseason. Leadership and chemistry are established in practice, in the locker room and by spending time together away from the game.

UCLA captured the Pac-12 regular-season title recently. The Bruins have a strong chance to win the conference tournament as well. Last year, they lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game. But this season, with a veteran group of talented upperclassmen and a few outstanding freshmen, the Bruins have exhibited togetherness on both ends of the floor throughout the season. Seniors Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, David Singleton and others have provided direction.

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«Championship teams have leadership and team chemistry,» UCLA associate head coach Darren Savino said. «You cannot win big games or championships without both. You cannot be selfless and selfish at the same time. It makes you hard to beat when the games are close.»

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